


Sweet in September

by Mamazero



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-26
Updated: 2015-09-26
Packaged: 2018-04-23 10:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4873393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mamazero/pseuds/Mamazero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A tender moment between a mage and her "temporary templar" escort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweet in September

**Author's Note:**

> So, this god awful idea was suggested to me by a friend, she had read something about a "Sweet in September" writing prompt SOMEWHERE and asked me to do one between my characters Tamlen and Bethany. So here it is, in all it's awkward glory. And a BIG thank you to Careful_Mimicry for ALL THE HELP! OMG! ALL THE HELP!!!

They had arrived at the inn late in the evening, the sun had already begun to sink low into the horizon. Grace and Meris had gotten a room fairly quickly and had scampered off for hot baths and fresh clothes. When Tamlen, dressed in Templar armor, and Bethany with her staff, had walked up to the counter, the innkeeper's mood changed dramatically. After much arguing, extra gold, and a threat of bodily harm followed by a promise of good behavior, they had been set up in a small room with scant furnishings and just one bed. Bethany had quietly excused herself after they had received their room for the night and Tamlen was chatting with the kitchen staff about the possibility of getting a hot meal delivered to their room later.

 

Deciding that now was as good of a time as any to take a hot bath and rinse off the past few days of dirt, blood and road grime, Bethany set her belongings on the table next to the couch in the room. She raised her arms over her head and stretched her aching muscles, softly groaning with the effort. Wandering over, she grabbed a couple of the soft linen towels set out by the door to the small room housing the tub. Opting to use her magic in lieu of the pump built into the wall, she gestured to the tub and it slowly started to fill with water warm enough to quickly fill the room with a cloud of steam. She meticulously started the process of unbuttoning and unfastening her robes and left them in a neat pile next to the door. Waving her hand again to stop the water, she made quick work of removing her small clothes and breast band.

 

Bethany ran her fingers through her short, ebony hair as she slowly sank into the welcoming, wet warmth that was her bath. Closing her shockingly bright blue eyes, Bethany exhaled, curling herself into something of a ball and relaxing in a way that just her knees rose from the water. She scrubbed her scalp until it no longer felt gritty and her lungs started to burn for air. She surfaced, smoothing her hair back so it was away from her face and hugged her knees to her chest, the water line coming up to just under her nose. She stared vacantly at the now dingy water, a strange melancholy falling over the usually exuberant mage. The soft music rising up to the room from the main hall of the inn below reminding her of a time, years ago now, in Kirkwall. Closing her eyes again, she fought to conjure the memory in its entirety, to distract herself from the chaotic happenings from the past few days.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

_A soft melody echoed off the walls of the library in the Hawke estate._ _The particular tune being played was hauntingly beautiful; low, sad and romantic. Bethany watched, wide eyed, at the pale elven boy sitting a few feet away plucking and strumming the strings on the small instrument in his lap. His eyes were closed, and he scowled in concentration, playing the song to the enraptured girl perfectly. She watched as his_ _long, delicate_ _fingers easily and without fault plucked at the thin strings, filling the mostly uninhabited hall_ _with soft music that would be enough to quiet even the rowdiest of tavern patrons. Bethany eventually closed her own eyes, surrendering, closing off other senses so she could concentrate on what she was hearing. After what_ _felt like_ _an hour, the music stopped, and a contented sigh escaped Bethany's slightly parted lips. She felt her warm breath fan across her own face, followed shortly by one that was not her_ _s_ _. She licked her lips, a nervousness filling her stomach with a light fluttering. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes to find a pair of large, golden-green orbs staring into her own electric blue ones._

 

_“Variel? What…?” Bethany's question was cut short by a pair of soft lips_ _gently_ _pressing_ _into her own. Her eyes fluttered closed once again as she moved her lips, initiating a dance between the two that seemed to last a lifetime, and yet not long enough. Variel was the first to pull away, a rosy pink blush dusting his high cheeks and the bridge of his thin nose._

 

_“I'm sorry Beth, I shouldn't have.” Variel's eyes skittered away from her face, looking at anything but her. “You and Grace are the closest friends Meris has, and I would never forgive myself if my baby sister lost one of her best friends because of me.” Variel shuffled his feet and let his eyes drift to the floor, his dark brown hair falling into his face to obscure his eyes._

 

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

 

The soft click of the door latching, followed by the sharp ' _clink_ ' and muted footfalls outside of the washroom pulled Bethany from her reverie and alerted her to the arrival of her temporary escort. Sighing, she hastily finished washing herself before draining the bath and tightly tucking the towel around her naked body.

 

“Shit...” Bethany muttered, looking around the room only to realize too late that she had forgotten her satchel, with her clean clothes inside, out next to the couch. Steeling her resolve, she cracked the door and stuck her head out, looking for her companion. Not seeing him immediately, she stepped out into the room with every intention of grabbing her bag and making a mad dash back to the wash room to change. She had only taken three steps towards her goal when a sharp intake of breath halted her mid stride. Slowly and with eyes wide, she turned to face the source of the sound. There, on the other side of the room, sat Tamlen, his back facing her, dimly illuminated by the flickering of a lone candle sitting on the desk in front of him.

 

“ _Fasta vass!_ ” Tamlen hissed quietly, gently pulling the padding off his left shoulder, exposing an angry, blue-black bruise topped by what Bethany could only assume had once been a blister, long since ruptured. Ignoring her own discomfort and marked state of undress, Bethany hesitantly padded across the room, hoping that maybe it wouldn't look as bad up close. As with most things of this nature, she was wrong, it looked _much_ worse up close. She let her eyes roam over the rest of his lithe body not currently covered, searching for other signs of damage on her elven companion. Her gaze stopped and her brow crinkled as she frowned at a rather ugly and fresh looking scar on his left side.

 

After a few minutes, Bethany came to the decision that Tamlen had not received the wound while they had been traveling together. Returning to her self appointed task, she continued to scan the man for more injuries. She noted a few smaller cuts and bruises across his midsection, but nothing as bad as the injury on his shoulder. Soon, her gaze reached his face, she noted a deep gash on his cheek and a split lip. Quickly, her eyes were met by his and she felt her skin grow hot with a deep blush.

 

“I...uh...was just, uh...” Bethany stumbled over her own tongue, trapped as she was in the intense emerald gaze of the man sitting before her. She hadn't realized that she was close enough to draw his attention. While she looked anywhere but at him, she must have been so enraptured in her investigation, that she had continued to tread closer. Standing before him now, cornered in his gaze, Bethany felt _completely_ naked, utterly exposed. She settled on crossing her arms across her chest and curling around herself slightly. “I just wanted to help, to make sure you weren't seriously wounded.” Her voice was small, even to her own ears, and it made her cringe to hear how uncertain she sounded. The silence between them stretched on and on, Bethany too stubborn to back down and walk away. Finally, Tamlen cleared his throat, and turned his attention to the clean linen wash rag sitting next to a small water basin on the desk.

 

“Then help.” Tamlen's response surprised Bethany, but she said nothing as she followed his gaze, nodded, and reached over to the desk. Dipping the cloth into the warm water she wrung it out thoroughly before lightly dabbing at the shiny new skin on his shoulder. She forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand and not to let her eyes wander. He said nothing, but she could feel him watching her from the corner of his eye.

 

“I could heal this much faster with magic you know.” Bethany murmured, breaking the stalemate of silence between the two. She rinsed out the cloth, deliberately slow in her actions, giving him time to think over her offer. “It'll only get worse while we're on the road and you're wearing armor that doesn't fit you.” She felt his sigh as much as she heard it, a soft sound full of resignation.

 

“Alright.” Tamlen agreed, nodding and shifting in his chair so he could wipe away a small trail of blood stemming from the gash on his cheek. “Let's get them cleaned out properly first, then you can heal them if you wish.” Bethany smiled in response, promptly returning her attention to cleaning the several small cuts across the warrior's chest and arms. Tamlen said not a word, other than giving an occasional reply on whether or not the particular cut Bethany was cleaning hurt. Instead, he watched her small, nimble fingers at work, alternating between refreshing the cloth and gently dabbing at his marred flesh.

 

_How did I manage to get myself into this situation?_ _Two weeks ago she would have baulked at the suggestion that we even breathed the same air,_ _why change her mind now?_ _Does she even realize_ _how this would look to others if anyone walked in?_ _I should probably stop staring, she'll think I'm a lecher._

 

For the first time since she started cleaning his wounds, Tamlen looked away. Taking the gesture as a sign of trust, Bethany smiled as she walked around the man's long legs to get better access to the cuts on his neck and face. Grabbing his chin delicately with her index finger and thumb, she tilted his face upwards to get a good look at the laceration on his cheek. Unfortunately for poor Tamlen, this meant he was eye level with the woman's breasts. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and cleared his throat, causing Bethany to chuckle as a soft blush grew in his cheeks.

 

“Are you alright? Or are my breasts making you uneasy?” Bethany asked, a mischievous smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth. She had been traveling with the man before her long enough to know that while they may not see eye to eye on all things, he was still honorable. Meaning only to tease him, she continued to wipe away the dried blood around the cut. She kept her eyes on the wound, and couldn't help but chuckle when his eyes darted around the room, pointedly not looking at _her._

 

“Uneasy...isn't quite the word I'd chose, tense maybe?” Tamlen answered, clearing his throat again. Why did it feel as though his mouth and throat were suddenly drier then the Western Approach? Still, the talking they had done in the past several minutes was more then the previous two weeks combined, so he pressed forward. “It's not every day I have a pair of breasts shoved in my face, on display in nothing but a towel none the less.” Taking a moment to consider if he ought to continue, he licked his lips, wincing slightly because of his split lip, he made as much eye contact as he could. “I don't care much for people, I'm sure you can guess why, so I apologize for how lacking my social graces are.” Bethany furrowed her brow in slight confusion, looking over to make full eye contact.

 

“I'm the one who should be apologizing, I was unjustly cold and rude when we first met. I honestly believed that you were a Templar, sent by the Lady Inquisitor, at my father's behest. Even if that _**had**_ been the case, I shouldn't have acted the way I did, and for that, I am sorry.” Bethany said, a small frown having worked it's way onto her once smiling face. Tamlen nodded, struck with silence over her genuine words. “I must admit, curiosity has gotten the better of me though, and I would like to know you better as a person.” The small, shy smile had returned and it was Bethany's turn to blush at her own admission.

 

“You already know me better than most outside of my family.” Tamlen responded, shrugging his shoulders slightly. This earned him a surprised look from Bethany, who had been reaching to refresh the rag in her hands once again. “I told you I don't care much for people.” Tamlen defended himself, Bethany looking at him with eyebrows raised and mouth slightly agape. She was so determined to give him her full attention, that she misjudged the distance to the bowl of water. Not realizing her mistake until it was too late, Bethany lost her balance. A small squeak of surprise escaped her and she reacted by reaching out for anything to catch herself on, which happened to be Tamlen's uninjured shoulder. She closed her eyes and braced herself for impact against the desk. Instead, she felt a pair of hands, large and warm, firmly gripping her hips and steadying her. Relief instantly flooded her, and she gave a somewhat shaky sigh.

 

“You alright?” Tamlen asked, concern written in the lines on his face. Bethany nodded and gave his shoulder a light squeeze. Both were caught in the intensity of the other's gaze and neither were willing to look away. After several long minutes, Bethany was unsure if her unsteady breathing was even due to the surprise of almost falling, or something else entirely. Something she wasn't sure she was ready to give much thought to. “Uh...” Tamlen muttered, breaking their eye contact and removing his hand from her hip to wipe the blood trail from his cheek again.

 

Bethany took a deep breath and cleared her throat, suddenly free of his enrapturing gaze. “Thank you.” She managed to whisper, taking the opportunity to thoroughly rinse out the rag in the water basin while she calmed her frazzled nerves. The only indication that he had heard her was his soft grunt. With one final deep breath, Bethany let out a sigh and returned to tending to the warrior's final untreated wound. His split lip.

 

“I'm sorry if this hurts.” The mage said, gesturing to Tamlen's lips with an apologetic grin. He gave her a short nod, only briefly making eye contact before they fluttered closed. Once again, she tilted his head back to get a better look at her work.

 

_Focus Bethy, focus. Don't look think about anything but getting his lip clean so you can heal him and we can both get some rest. Ooh, this split is bad. Just breathe, Bethy. Don't think about how beautifully long his eyelashes are, just barely dusting the tops of his cheeks, or how nice and full his lips are...those lips...FOCUS!_

 

Bethany shook her head to clear her thoughts, finding it difficult to concentrate. _Just get it done as quickly as possible. Clean it. Clean it. Clean it. Clean it._ “There, all done.” She declared, taking a step back to place the rag back on the desk. “Now all that's left is the healing.” Turning back to face her patient, Bethany gently rubbed her hands together, a soft green glow starting to emanate from them. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing healing magic through her finger tips. Bethany closed her eyes, focusing on the familiar tingling ebb flowing down her arms, through her finger tips, working its way through his skin and setting to work mending the bruise on his shoulder. Soon, only the deepest gashes and bruises on his torso remained faintly visible, the bruise on his shoulder faded from black and purple to an angry yellow. When she pulled her hands away, she was panting softly, a light flush to her cheeks. “There. Let me know if that shoulder bothers you any more.” Bethany cracked open her eyes, letting them wander over him, ensuring her magic did its job.

 

“I will...” Tamlen trailed off as Bethany's fingers softly came to rest on his cheek. The velvety green light returned, sending transparent, illuminated tendrils dancing before his eyes. The painful heat that had been there due to the deep cut was replaced by a gentle warmth, like his entire being had been wrapped in a soft, downy blanket. Tamlen closed his eyes, letting himself revel in the soothing feel of her healing magic. It seemed that as soon as she started, she had stopped again, leaving him with an entirely unsettling desire to have her continue. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, neither making any attempt to move. The only noise in the darkened room were the sounds of their breathing, Bethany's soft pants and Tamlen's rhythmic exhale. Finally, Tamlen repositioned himself in the chair, and cleared his throat. “Uh...thank you, again.” He stumbled over the words, reaching up to pull on his right ear lobe. A nervous habit he had picked up from his mother when he was a child. Bethany smiled and nodded, happy to be of help, to which, Tamlen gave a smile of his own. Immediately he winced, the tip of his tongue lapping over the previously forgotten split in his lip.

 

“Oh...Your lip.” Bethany started, having been lost in her own thoughts enough that she had overlooked the injury. She reached out, and lightly traced his bottom lip with her finger tips. The dull tingling he had felt in his shoulders and cheek, amplified tenfold in his sensitive lips. His eyes fluttered shut once again, and he gave an involuntary full bodied shudder. The sensation had sent every nerve in his body into overdrive. He was suddenly acutely aware of everything around him. How close Bethany was standing, how warm her fingers were compared to his skin, how quickly she was breathing. He could even hear a few of the louder conversations floating up from the main tavern hall down below. The overabundance of stimuli was quickly setting him on edge, and he felt a tightness rapidly forming in his shoulders and back. Soon, the tautness of his muscles had set a dull ache coursing through his previously injured shoulder, and a groan edged its way out of him.

 

“Oh...” Bethany quietly uttered, quickly retracting her fingers as if he had bitten her. She watched, transfixed, as a deep auburn blush rapidly filled Tamlen's sun-tanned skin, spreading outwards from his cheeks to the rest of his face and up his ears. He opened his eyes, only to stare at the floor once more as he scooted the chair away from her a bit to stand. He gave an uncomfortable cough and made no move to remove his hand from his mouth.

 

“Thank you again. Please, excuse me.” Tamlen said as his eyes darted off towards the door, and he gave a courteous nod to Bethany. “I'll leave you to dress now.” Without another word, he took a few long strides toward the door, pausing only to grab a clean linen shirt he had set out and pulled it over his head. The door closed behind him with a loud _thud,_ and Bethany sank into the now vacant chair. She closed her eyes and gently massaged her temples, letting out a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Tamlen returned some time later with a couple of bowls of druffalo stew, a loaf of bread and a skin of the house made ale. He at least appeared much more composed than he had when he had left the room, although he didn't say anything other then, 'Food.' when he returned. Bethany wasn't sure if it was because he had been forced to face the tavern crowd or because she was no longer in a towel. As they sat, eating in silence, the slightly awkward tension between the two was almost palpable. Finally getting frustrated enough with how childish the whole situation was, Bethany cleared her throat and set down her spoon with a _clang_ that echoed in the small room.

 

“This is red- _eeerrrrrrrrrppppp.”_ Bethany's eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth in horror. _That did NOT just happen. I did NOT just belch mid sentence._ The tense silence stretched on, both parties in the room watching the other, wide eyed. Finally, a small, sincere smile worked its way onto Tamlen's face, followed shortly by a mirthful chuckle. Which was followed by another, and then another, until the room was filled by the sound of Tamlen's full out belly laughter. Bethany found herself smiling and struck by a fit of giggles. Soon, she herself was laughing so hard that she slid, right out of her chair, and onto the hard wooden floor with an _'Oof!'._ In the blink of an eye, Tamlen was kneeling on the floor next to her, smile still in place, but with concern in his eyes.

 

“Are you alright?” Tamlen asked, his tone light. Bethany chuckled and nodded in response, pulling herself up, off the floor.

 

“I'm fine, nothing more than wounded pride.” Bethany replied, her smile still firmly in place as she dusted off her bottom.

 

“Thank you.” Tamlen said. Bethany stopped, mid rear swat, to give him a confused look. “The tension was starting to bother me, and I wasn't sure how to break it, so, thank you.” He supplied, a playful smirk pulling at one side of his mouth.

 

“Not a problem, I guess.” Bethany shrugged, quickly covering her mouth to hide her yawn. “By the Maker, I really should be getting to sleep, it's late and my mana reserves are barely holding on.” The two of them nodded at each other, then turned to face the single bed and tiny couch. “Uh...How? Who?” Bethany asked, unsure of how to voice the question that she was currently presented with.

 

“You take the bed, I'll take the couch.” Tamlen offered, turning towards Bethany and gestured toward the bed. “After you.”

 

“No.”

 

“What?”

 

“I said no. I'm not going to have you messing up my healing job by cramming yourself onto that tiny abomination masquerading as a couch.” Bethany answered firmly, lifting her chin in the air and folding her arms over her chest in an entirely defiant way. “You take the bed, and I'll take the couch.”

 

“Um...That's not going to happen.” Tamlen groused, crossing his own arms over his chest and scowling at the mage before him. “My family would never let me hear the end of it if I took the bed. So it would seem we're at an impasse.” He continued as he raised one dark eyebrow at her.

 

“Ok, well if you're not willing to give in...” Bethany stated in a logical tone.

 

“Which I'm not.” Tamlen interjected.

 

“And neither am I.” Bethany supplied before biting her lip, thinking through their options. “You know what? Under normal circumstances I'd never suggest this, but I'm tired and we're both stubborn.” She began, pinching the bridge of her nose. “But maybe, we should both give in.”

 

“Both give in? You're not thinking…?” Tamlen bespoke, his tone relaying his disbelief that she was even thinking of suggesting what she was.

 

“I'm thinking we share the bed. We're both adults, capable of controlling ourselves. We'll be sleeping, nothing off about that.” Bethany provided, moving her hand to massage her temple. Lack of sleep over the past several days coupled with the draining of her mana earlier had given her the start of a headache.

 

“Fine.” Tamlen nodded, huffing out a sigh. “How are we gonna…?” He asked, gesturing to the small, single sized bed

 

“Well, we could sleep on our sides, back to back?...maybe?” Bethany suggested, tilting her head to the side in the hopes of picturing it. “No, that won't work, we would still have no room to move.” Bethany mumbled to herself, scowling and shaking her head only to tilt it the other direction. “Hmm….Maybe...So tell me, what are your feelings on….cuddling?” Bethany asked, giving Tamlen a nervous grin.

 

“I'm not exactly the touchy feely type.” Tamlen replied causing Bethany to frown, an entirely disappointed look. He rolled his eyes and uncrossed his arms, letting his shoulders slump. “I think I'll survive one night though. Just...don't tell anyone back at Skyhold, okay?” Tamlen requested, before walking towards the right side of the bed, and almost bowling over the small mage.

 

“Sorry.” Both said in unison. Bethany gave a small, nervous laugh and rubbed her forearm as Tamlen pulled on his ear lobe. “Here, you take this side.” Tamlen motioned before walking to the opposite side of the bed and sitting down. Bethany gave a sigh of relief and nodded while sitting down on the mattress.

 

_Evanuris ar ghilani. Falon would never let me hear the end of it if he found out that I shared a bed with a pretty girl and_ **slept** _. This is such a bad idea._ Tamlen thought while carefully unlacing his boots and removing them before pivoting and reclining on the bed. He tucked his left hand under his head, leaving his left side exposed to the girl next to him. _I wonder what she's thinking about._

 

_Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Oh blissful sleep._ Bethany sighed contentedly, burrowing under the blanket and curling into Tamlen's side. Pulling the blanket up so that only her face was uncovered, she settled on resting her head on Tamlen's chest. She shifted once more to get comfortable and caught her elbow in Tamlen's ribs, eliciting a dissatisfied grunt.

 

“Sorry, I'm done.” Bethany slurred, sleep coiling around her words as she buried her face in his shirt. “Mmmm….You're warm. I wonder if this is what Andraste's bosom felt like….” She babbled, finally settling in.

 

“Festis bei umo canavarum.” Tamlen breathed, his eyes wandering the room, unable to focus. This was going to be a very long night.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:  
> Evanuris ar ghilani. = Gods guide me. (in elven)  
> Festis bei umo canavarum. = You will be the death of me. (in Tevene)
> 
> Also, just so everyone knows, this will also be a chapter in the story Solitary.


End file.
